Container formed by two chambers capable of being assembled by one of their surfaces

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a container made up of two receptacles that can be assembled together via respective ones of their faces. According to the invention, the assembly face of each receptacle comprises in similar manner: a transversely-extending step in the form of a groove having a bottom trough; a bottom abutment; and top abutment; such that when in the head-to-tail position, the trough of the groove of each receptacle co-operates with the edge of the groove of the other receptacle, and the bottom abutment of each receptacle co-operates with the top abutment of the other receptacle, in such a manner as to assemble the two receptacles together, blocking relative displacement between them both in the transverse and in the longitudinal directions. The invention is applicable to packaging a variety of products, and in particular to packaging liquids.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is entitled to the benefit of and incorporates byreference essential subject matter disclosed in InternationalApplication No. PCT/FR00/03100 filed on Nov. 8, 2000 and French PatentApplication No. 99/15438 filed on Dec. 2,1999.

The present invention relates to a container made up of two receptaclesthat can be assembled together via respective ones of their faces.

A particular application of the invention lies in packaging a variety ofproducts, and in particular liquids.

The receptacles can thus be constituted by cans for packaging a varietyof liquids.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Document FR-A-2 765 557 discloses a container made up of two receptaclesthat can be reversibly secured to each other. In the container, the tworeceptacles are secured to each other via at least one of each of theirfaces, the face(s) concerned having fixing means that are invisible whenthe two receptacles are forming the container.

Although advantageous in numerous ways, that container can be presentedin only a limited number of configurations because of the way its fixingmeans are designed.

Furthermore, those means have the drawback of needing to be manufacturedspecially which increases the overall cost of the container.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention makes it possible to remedy the drawbacks of presentcontainers, and to do this it presents a novel container constituted bytwo assembled-together receptacles.

This container has the advantage of enabling the two receptacles to beassembled together in a manner that is highly characteristic andeffective. The assembly means used are easily made in the bodies of thereceptacles, particularly when the receptacles are made of moldedplastics material.

The present invention also has the advantage of offering a container ofa shape that is very particular and suitable for attracting the public,both on practical grounds and because of appearance.

Other objects and advantages appear from the following descriptionwhich, nevertheless, does not limit the invention.

The present invention provides a container constituted by tworeceptacles suitable for assembling to each other via respective ones oftheir faces, wherein the assembly face of each receptacle comprises insimilar manner:

a transversely-extending step in the form of a groove; and

a bottom abutment and a top abutment;

whereby in a head-to-tail position, the trough of the groove of eachreceptacle co-operates with the edge of the groove of the otherreceptacle, and the bottom abutment of each receptacle co-operates withthe top abutment of the other receptacle, so as to assemble the tworeceptacles together, blocking relative displacement between them bothin the transverse and in the longitudinal directions.

The embodiments specified below constitute variants of the presentinvention:

it further comprises means for blocking the two receptacles laterally;

the blocking means are formed by at least one cavity formed in theassembly face of one of the receptacles and a portion in relief formedon the assembly face of the other receptacle, said portion in reliefbeing suitable for inserting in the cavity;

each receptacle has both a cavity and a portion in relief;

the cavity is a furrow and the portion in relief is a ridge;

the groove is of rounded profile to facilitate assembly;

each receptacle presents a cap closing its opening, the bottom face ofsaid cap constituting the top abutment;

the bottom abutment is a plane surface facing towards the base of thereceptacle;

the bottom abutment is positioned at a distance from the base of thereceptacle that corresponds substantially to the thickness of the cap;and

each receptacle is made of a molded plastics material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are given by way of non-limiting indication.They show an embodiment of the invention. They make it easy tounderstand the invention.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a container of the invention made up of tworeceptacles.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5 are respectively a front view, a side view, abottom view, and a top view of one of the receptacles constituting thecontainer of the present invention.

MORE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It can be advantageous for packaging certain products to make use ofcontainers 1 presenting two receptacles that can be assembled together.

In this context and as shown in FIG. 1, the present invention provides acontainer 1 made up of two receptacles 2 and 3.

These receptacles 2 and 3 can be assembled to each other via respectiveones of their faces given respective references 6 a and 6 b.

The assembly face 6 a can also be seen in the front view of FIG. 2.

In order to enable the two receptacles 2, 3 to co-operate with eachother via their respective assembly faces 6 a and 6 b, these facespresent a special configuration that is characteristic of the invention.

The embodiment described below is one in which the two receptacles 2, 3are substantially identical and present assembly faces 6 a, 6 b that aremade in similar manner. However, the receptacles 2, 3 could bedifferent, in particular they could have certain dimensions that aredifferent, for example they could differ in the transverse direction 17.

As shown in FIG. 3, the assembly face 6 a, 6 b comprises firstly a step7 in the transverse direction. The transverse axis is referenced 17 inFIG. 4.

For the purposes of description, the lateral axis of each receptacle isreferenced 16 and the longitudinal axis 15.

As shown in the side view of FIG. 3, the step 7 constitutes a change inthe thickness of the receptacle and it includes a groove 8.

This groove comprises a trough 9 and an edge 10.

Furthermore, in the invention, the assembly face 6 a, 6 b has a bottomabutment 11 as shown in FIG. 2.

The bottom abutment 11 is preferably a plane surface 19 facing towardsthe bottom of the receptacle and projecting from the base of thereceptacle 2, 3.

Each receptacle 2, 3 also has a top abutment suitable for co-operatingwith the bottom abutment by pressing against the plane surface 19 ofsaid bottom abutment 11.

The two receptacles 2, 3 presenting respective assembly faces 6 a, 6 bconfigured in this way are suitable for co-operating as follows.

Firstly, the grooves 8 co-operate by inserting the edge 10 of one of theassembly faces 6 a in the trough 9 of the other assembly face 6 b. Thereciprocal engagement also takes place. This co-operation can be seenclearly in FIG. 1.

The bottom abutment 11 of each receptacle 2, 3 also comes to bearagainst the top abutment of the other receptacle 2, 3.

Co-operation between the grooves 8 serves to block the receptacles 2, 3against transverse relative displacement. The bottom and top abutments11 serve to block the two receptacles 2, 3 in the longitudinaldirection.

In a particular embodiment, the top abutment is constituted by the cap 5closing the opening of the receptacle 2, 3. This variant is particularlysuitable for packaging liquids, where the presence of a cap 5co-operating with a thread 14 on each receptacle 2, 3 is commonplace.

The use of the cap 5 to constitute the top abutment has the advantage ofrequiring no additional means for making said abutment. Thus, the bottomface 18 of ordinary design of the cap 5 serves to constitute the topabutment.

Furthermore, in order to make it easier to assemble and disassemble thetwo receptacles 2, 3, the grooves 8 are preferably of rounded shape asshown in FIG. 3. The absence of any sharp angles makes it easier to puteach edge 10 into position in the trough 9 of the other groove 8.

In a preferred embodiment, the container also has means for blocking thetwo receptacles 2, 3 in the lateral direction.

The use of such means ensures that the two receptacles 2, 3 are blockedagainst movement in all directions.

In a variant, the lateral blocking means are formed by at least onecavity formed in the assembly face 6 a, 6 b of one of the receptacles 2,3 and a portion in relief formed on the assembly face 6 a, 6 b of theother receptacle 2, 3.

The cavity and the portion in relief are formed in such a manner as toco-operate with each other, the portion in relief being inserted intothe cavity.

In a preferred embodiment, the cavity is a furrow 12 as shown in FIGS.2, 4, and 5.

In this context, the portion in relief is a ridge 13 that can also beseen in FIG. 2 and in FIGS. 3 and 5.

When made in this way, the cavity and the portion in relief are ofconsiderable length, thereby making them highly effective in blockingthe two receptacles 2, 3 laterally.

The two receptacles 2, 3 are preferably made of a plastics material andthey can be molded using any known means.

Furthermore, by selecting a plastics material that is sufficientlyflexible (e.g. by limiting the thickness of the materials constitutingthe receptacles 2, 3) the operations of assembling and disassembling thereceptacles 2, 3 are made easier by taking advantage of theirelasticity.

Finally, it is advantageous for a container 1 to be made up thatpresents one or more surfaces suitable for standing on a plane.

For this purpose, the bottom abutment 11 is preferably placed at adistance from the base 4 of the receptacles 2, 3, said distancecorresponding substantially to the thickness of the cap 5.

Thus, when the bottom face 18 of the cap 5 is made in co-operation withthe bottom abutment 11, the top face of the cap 5 comes flush with theplane of the base 4.

This makes it possible to stand one of the faces of the container 1 on aplane.

Naturally, the longitudinal, transverse, and lateral axes 15, 17, and 16are oriented by way of indication for the purposes of description. Otherorientations relative to the configuration of the container 1 comewithin the ambit of the invention.

REFERENCES

1. Container

2. Receptacle

3. Second receptacle

4. Base

5. Cap

6 a. Assembly face

6 b. Assembly face

7. Step

8. Groove

9. Trough of groove

10. Edge of groove

11. Bottom abutment

12. Furrow

13. Ridge

14. Thread

15. Longitudinal axis

16. Lateral axis

17. Transverse axis

18. Bottom face of cap

19. Plane surface

What is claimed is:
 1. A container constituted by two receptaclessuitable for assembling to each other via respective ones of theirfaces, wherein the assembly face of each receptacle comprises in similarmanner: a transversely-extending step in the form of a groove; and abottom abutment and a top abutment; such that in a head-to-tailposition, the trough of the groove of each receptacle co-operates withthe edge of the groove of the other receptacle, and the bottom abutmentof each receptacle co-operates with the top abutment of the otherreceptacle, so as to assemble the two receptacles together, blockingrelative displacement between them both in the transverse and in thelongitudinal directions, wherein each receptacle presents a cap closingits opening, the bottom face of the cap constituting the top abutment,and wherein the bottom abutment is positioned at a distance from thebase of the receptacle that corresponds substantially to the height ofthe cap.
 2. A container according to claim 1, further comprising meansfor blocking the two receptacles laterally.
 3. A container according toclaim 2, wherein the blocking means are formed by at least one cavityformed in the assembly face of one of the receptacles and a portion inrelief formed on the assembly face of the other receptacle, said portionin relief being suitable for inserting in the cavity.
 4. A containeraccording to claim 3, wherein each receptacle has both a cavity and aportion in relief.
 5. A container according to claim 3, wherein thecavity is a furrow and the portion in relief is a ridge.
 6. A containeraccording to claim 1, wherein the groove is of rounded profile tofacilitate assembly.
 7. A container according to claim 1, wherein thebottom abutment is a plane surface facing towards the base of thereceptacle.
 8. A container according to claim 1, wherein each receptacleis made of a molded plastics material.